The next morning, Fiyero was carrying a large box of folders down one of the main halls when he felt someone grab his arm. Before he could see who it was, he was pulled behind a large curtain, his shoulder colliding with the window, scattering his cargo on the floor.

"Ow! What the –"

"Shh!"

"Lady Galinda?"

"Have you seen her?" the blonde asked frantically.

"Who?"

"The princess!"

He groaned. "Well, I can't see anyone from behind this curtain."

"This is serious! His Ozness is looking for her, and I can't find her, and if I don't find her, it'll be hell to pay. I may be rich, but even I don't have that much money."

He rubbed his shoulder. "Considering I found out last night, rather abruptly, that she's the princess, I'm the last person you should be asking right now."

The blonde made a very unladylike noise. "Out of all the days to disappear without my knowledge. She didn't even leave a note. This is just spiffy. She's lucky it's me who –"

"Lady Galinda, I don't think standing here complaining to me is going to find the princess."

She noted the detachment in his voice and turned to go, but not before throwing him a final glance over her shoulder. "I told her she should tell you the truth, but I also know she doesn't want you to be embarrassed by not knowing. I also told her she wasn't giving you enough credit, nor the chance you deserved."

He collected the dropped files in one swift motion. "I'm not embarrassed." He lifted the box, and his chin. "I'm pissed." He didn't wait to hear her response, turning and continuing his way down the hall.

Galinda grunted softly as she watched him go. It was clear he was going to be stubborn. Luckily, she was an expert in dealing with stubborn royals. But right now, she had a stubborn royal to find. "Aina!" she called to a passing secretary.

The curly-haired employee stopped and curtsied. "Lady Galinda."

"Have you seen the princess?"

The secretary's unsure silence was enough of an answer for the blonde.

"You have, haven't you? I swear to Oz, if she told you not to tell me, I'll –"

"She went riding," Aina said quickly, as if speed would lessen the breach of confidentiality.

"Riding? Now? Urgh. Do you know where? Never mind, I already know. Thank you!" she called over her shoulder, having already taken off in the direction of the stables.

She was steps away from the barn, already calling for the stable boy to ready her horse. She paced in a circle as the young man tacked up her chestnut mare and brought her over to the mounting block. She mounted her horse, waving away the boy's helping hand, and took off towards the park.

It was still early, so the park wasn't open to the public yet, which made it the perfect place for a private royal ride. Galinda strayed from the path, ducking to avoid getting smacked in the face by low-hanging branches. She slowed as the large pond came into view, along with a black horse having a drink, and a green girl sitting on its bank, gazing at the sparkling water. It was a serene spot the girls, specifically and especially Elphaba, would escape to as often as they could.

She silently dismounted, led her horse to the water, and sat next to her friend. "Princesses do not sit astride a horse."

Elphaba scoffed. "Says who?"

"Says the proper young lady who…" She paused, "admittingly also had to ride astride as she galloped to find her best friend… but that's not the point! You know I love riding, but you also know I bruise easily, and an early morning ride with no warning won't help matters. Not to mention I couldn't find my favorite yellow ribbon this morning, and my outfit isn't complete without my favorite hair accessory."

Elphaba's lips curled into an apologetic smile as she pulled off the hood of her riding cloak.

"And I shall blame you when I have to carry around a pillow for the rest of the week." She smoothed her skirt over her extended legs. "I could chide you for coming out here without so much as leaving a note, when you know you're not supposed to be riding alone. I should, actually."

"I needed some air."

"Then open a window," the blonde deadpanned.

"I needed space. Last night –"

"I'm so sorry, Elphie!" she blurted, throwing her arms around her best friend. "I didn't mean to. He was looking for you and I was running out of lies and he gave me that look – you know the look I'm talking about – and the truth slipped out."

"How much of the truth?"

"Not the whole truth, but… enough."

She sighed. "So I suppose my hidden kitchen time is over?"

"I know he was furious at not knowing about this, but that doesn't mean he'll forbid it."

"Yes, it does."

"He was mostly just shocked. It might work out in our favor."

Elphaba gave a noncommittal hum, and the girls sat in silence for a while, watching the sun's rays hit the water's surface and create dancing patterns.

"He's looking for you now. We've been gone for so long, he's probably looking for both of us."

She whipped her head towards her. "Why didn't you tell me Father was –"

"Because we both needed this moment. I thought we should both enjoy a moment of solitude before being placed on house arrest."

"Don't be dramatic. We live in a palace, Glin."

"Palace, prison; different place, same strict rules."

The green girl looked surprised at her own words being thrown back at her, but knew she had to admire her friend's cleverness. "You're hilarious." She stood and smoothed out the wrinkles in her skirt. "Let's go. There's no use delaying the inevitable."

The girls mounted their horses (Galinda needed a bit of a boost from Elphaba) and quickly made their way back home. When they returned, they were immediately escorted into the throne room without being allowed to freshen up. When they walked through the large, double doors, they saw the Wizard on his throne, glaring down at them with a deep scowl. The sound of the door closing behind them reverberated through the room, making it sound louder than it was.

Galinda curtsied, then nudged her friend forward. The green girl glanced back at her, then met her father's hard gaze.

"Father, I –"

"Where were you this morning?" the Wizard interrupted.

She hated that she couldn't hide behind a lie. "I went for a ride in the park."

"Alone?"

She gulped. "Yes."

"Against my explicit rules, I might add."

She braced herself. "I –"

"I don't want to hear any explanations, Elphaba." He stood, towering even more over the girls. "Clearly, I've let you have too much freedom. Both of you." He glanced at Galinda, who shrunk under his gaze.

"Father, if this is about the kitchen –"

"We will not speak of that."

"That's perfectly alright with me," Galinda muttered, and Elphaba shot her a sideways glance.

The Wizard didn't acknowledge her comment, whether he didn't hear it or was ignoring it. "Guards will now accompany you around the palace and surrounding grounds. You are not to go anywhere unescorted."

Elphaba stiffened, her face filled with shock. "What –"

"And from now on, you will be joining me for all meetings."

He already had a heavy hand of control over her daily schedule before, but now he was adding time where he could watch her like a hawk himself. She knew this wouldn't be the quality time she'd been craving with him.

"That is all. You both are dismissed. The guard is waiting outside."

Galinda curtsied and backed up, pausing when Elphaba didn't move. She cleared her throat, but the green girl stood her ground. "Elphie, let's go," she whispered, gently tugging on her arm.

Elphaba pulled away, never turning to look at her friend. "Father…" She took a breath, knowing she should at least try to plead her case against his overbearingness. "I like going down to the kitchens."

The ruler was visibly surprised that his daughter was still speaking after being dismissed, but didn't tell her to stop talking and leave.

She took that as unsaid permission to continue. "It's all I have left of Mother."

He straightened his posture. "What do you mean?"

"I don't remember much about her, but I remember how we went down to the kitchens once everyone was gone and baked together. It was our special quality time. All I have left are those fragmented memories and recipes, and I don't want… I can't let those go." She squeezed her hands together behind her back. "And the kitchen staff works so hard, and they're exhausted by the end of the night. I had the time and energy to help. I wanted to feel useful. I wanted to help."

The blonde was surprised by her friend's courage to say that. She looked up at the Wizard, who looked like he was softening a bit, and for a moment, she was sure she would win this.

"I… never knew that," the Wizard admitted softly, a note of caring in his voice that the girls never heard before.

Galinda gave her friend's hand a hopeful squeeze. Perhaps she was going to get what she wanted for once.

"But now I know… that even more secrets were kept from me." His face went hard again, and the girls' faces dropped. "My decision is final. Both of you may leave."

"Father –"

"Now. I will not tell you again."

Elphaba bit her bottom lip to stop it from visibly quivering as she turned on her heels and practically flew out, ignoring her friend's pleas for her to slow down.

"Elphie! Elphaba, wait!" The blonde caught up with her and grabbed her wrist to keep them from getting separated.

Elphaba turned, expecting to see an apologetic look, but was met with knitted brows and a frown.

"I told you," the blonde said, still frowning as she bit the inside of her cheek. "What did I tell you? Didn't I tell you? Because I told you!" She cocked her head to the side. "And when did I tell you? A long time ago."

"And what did I say would happen? Exactly what just happened!" Elphaba countered. "I knew this would happen if the truth got out." She wrenched her hand away and continued running.

Her friend's heels mixed with the heavy boots of the guard, and it only made her run faster. She ran through the maze of back halls until she no longer heard footsteps, heels, boots, or otherwise. She stopped, leaning against the wall as she panted and gathered her bearings. She knew the whole palace would soon be looking for her, so she had to keep moving. She quickened her pace, but stopped when she saw who was aimlessly meandering down the perpendicular hall.

"Fiyero."

The prince looked up, his eyes widening when he met the familiar face that seemed foreign at the same time. He was frozen to his spot as she ran towards him, but was unstuck when she grabbed his hands. He stepped back, pulling away as he gave her a deep bow. "Princess."

"Fiyero, I –" She stopped when the heels and boots returned. She grabbed his hands again and pulled him into the closest room, quietly closing the door behind them and waiting until the footsteps passed.

"What are you doing?"

"I don't have a lot of time. My father is turning the guards into spying chaperones, and I won't have any more free time. This might be my last chance to see you, and I owe you an apology."

He rubbed his face. "Am I an idiot? For not knowing? For not figuring it out sooner?"

"Yes." She changed her teasing tone once his expression changed. "I mean… n-no. You didn't know because I didn't want you to. No one outside the palace staff knows who I am."

"You… but… you… you work in the kitchens."

"Because I want to do something useful. We've discontinued the cupbearer position, and I want to make sure the food and drinks aren't poisoned."

Fiyero buried his face in his hands, muttering self-deprecating insults. His parents always told him to 'not be brainless' and to try to get at least two of his brain cells to work together, but this was peak stupidity. "Weeks. You had me… for weeks… months… and I thought…"

"Fiyero, I… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to… I didn't want…" She ran a hand through her hair.

"So, you mean to tell me, when I said you were just a kitchen maid…"

"And I wouldn't understand the heavy responsibilities of being a royal? Yeah, you were just a tad off. Remember when I told you I wasn't getting paid to work in the kitchens? It's because I don't require it."

He wasn't amused. "You said you didn't understand the responsibilities of being royal."

"I never said that I, specifically, didn't understand. I was being general with that statement."

"You shouldn't be general when saying things that apply to yourself."

"I was trying to be inclusive." Her smile faded when he didn't return it. "Telling the truth would've killed the façade. I'm not an actress by profession, but I considered myself good enough to commit to the bit." She cracked a small smile, but instantly wiped it off her face when it wasn't returned.

"Why didn't you tell me who you were?"

"Because I didn't want you to know."

He ran his hands over his face and through his hair with a groan.

"I was about to tell you right before Father interrupted us. Whenever I have a chance to have someone get to know the real me without all the pretense and flowery language and bowing and kowtowing, I like to take advantage of that. I know people will feel weird, possibly even embarrassed, when they find out the truth, but I don't take offense, since I already got what I needed." She hoped that didn't sound as selfish as she thought it did, since it was the truth. "I know you feel betrayed, and it was never my intention to make you feel that way. You can ask me whatever questions you have, and I will answer them honestly. I promise," she added when she saw his face darken.

"Where did 'Fae' come from?"

"It's what I told the servants to refer to me as. It's sort of a code name, so my father never found out what I was doing. The guards like to gossip, and are known for telling my father everything. The servants are better secret-keepers. It's a big palace, with many secret ways to get everywhere, so I was able to hide or be seen whenever I wanted."

"So your father never –"

"He thinks I'm constantly ill. I was a very sick child; sometimes, I would milk it for more than it was worth to get out of things I didn't want to do. Most parents are very attentive to their children when they're sick. Mine isn't. And while I've recovered, getting bouts of illnesses isn't completely out of the realm of possibilities, which helps with some cover-ups. It's also why my public appearances are very rare, practically non-existent. It was mostly little outings to unofficial events. I'll start a regular schedule during my father's twentieth anniversary in June." She paused, playing with the end of her braid. "Nothing I told you before was a lie."

"No, the lie was what you didn't tell me." He worked his jaw. "Excuse me, Princess." He bowed and made to move past her.

"I don't like lying, and I don't like that I had to make a habit out of it. I just wanted… I wanted space. I wanted a taste of freedom. I wanted to know what it's like to have a real friend and have a somewhat normal aspect of my life. I got to show the side of me I like better. I can't even do that with Galinda. I love her, but she's part of that life."

Her voice stopped him, but he didn't turn around. "You don't lie to friends."

She didn't know what else to say to stop the conversation from going in circles. "You got to know the real me. And from what I understand, I got to know the real you, too. Isn't that what friends do?"

He turned.

"I think it's safe to say that neither of us will have to lie to each other now. If you still want to give me a chance, that is. I understand if you don't, and I won't be offended." She gave him a small, hopeful smile before turning back the way she came.

The last thing Fiyero heard was Lady Galinda's heels, her squeal, and a guard's loud boots.